Vacationing With a Criminal
by silverdragon917
Summary: Sakura hasn't seen Itachi in months, but when a mission comes alongside a note reading "Happy Vacation" she doesn't know what to expect. ItachixSakura. Lemons in later chapters. Some language, and suggestive scenes. Don't like don't read.
1. Chapter 1 Vacation Begins

**A/N: So I know that some of you have read my previous story "Blindfold", and had wanted me to make a sequel, so here it is. It might take me longer to write, on account that it's not a one shot, so I have to stick with the story line that I've come up with (with help from your reviews of course).**

**There isn't any smut at all in this chapter (you know gotta develop the story before I can do much), however we will be getting into that in later chapters (which is why I've rated this fanfic M from the start).**

**Hope you enjoy, I will be posting again soon (how soon I'm not sure, but I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can). Please review after you read, they actually really help me as far as some plot development goes. Thanks again.**

**silverdragon**

**Disclaimer: Sadly I own nothing except the story line. I don't own the characters or Naruto. (No matter how much I wish I did).**

Chapter 1 Vacation Begins

Sakura couldn't take it much longer. It had been three months sense the last time they had met, and yet she still hadn't heard from her lover. She knew it was dangerous for them to meet, but she couldn't stop thinking about his touch, the way his lips met hers when they kissed, or his deep seductive voice. Sakura knew that Itachi would only come if it was safe for him, and at the moment it wasn't. The Fifth Hokage had stepped up security within the village, which made any kind of meeting almost impossible. Sakura sighed, oh well maybe it was for the best, their love was forbidden after all.

She made her way through the village, to the Hokage's office where she knocked on the door and was let in.

"Hello Sakura, so nice to see you," the girls mentor said with a smile, "I have a new mission for you, it's only a C rank mission, and therefore you should be able to handle it on your own. You're to travel to this village and protect one of their government officials from harm," she pointed to a small village on a map of the Land of Fire, "There have been some threats to the officials life, and there for you need to be very cautious. You are to leave as soon as possible, and should anything go wrong don't be afraid to send for back up."

Sakura turned to leave, her orders in her hand, but was stopped by her mentor's voice.

"Oh and Sakura, please be careful."

She walked back to her apartment, and began packing her things for the mission. Once done she looked around the apartment, her eyes resting on a scrap of paper jammed under a window. Her heart fluttered, could it really be? She picked up the note and read.

_Happy vacation Sakura, meet me at The Sparkling Mermaid when you get into town._

That was all the note said, but Sakura felt her heart leap with an unexplainable joy. She was going to see him again, which was all that mattered.

She quickly left her apartment, picking up her things on the way out the door. She had to keep from running through the village, pure joy from the knowledge that she would be meeting her lover that night made her want to run and scream at the top of her lungs. Sakura managed to restrain herself, drawing attention was not what she wanted to do.

As she neared the gate leading out of the village, Sakura noticed Naruto and Kakashi waiting for her just inside the gate.

"Hey Sakura, first mission in a while huh?" Naruto was all smiles as he walked up to her. In truth this had been her first mission in about two months, she was way too busy helping in the hospital. That and she hadn't been given many missions sense Sasuke left, there was always the off chance they would meet in combat, which everyone else thought was a very bad idea. Little did they know that she was already over the other teen, preferring his devilish older brother.

"I guess you're right Naruto," she said after some thought, "Well wish me luck, I'm off."

She started to walk out of the village, only to have Kakashi stop her.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong?" she asked puzzled.

"Just be careful. Don't do anything stupid or reckless. I want you back here in one piece. Got that?" he said, standing and waiting for Sakura to reply.

"I understand Kakashi-sensei, I will come back. I promise," she didn't miss the relief that passed through Kakashi's one visible eye as she said the words.

With that she walked out of the village and began her mission.

She had some time to think, the journey would take her at least half the day on foot, so she began to wonder at the origins of her strange mission. How did Itachi know that she was going on a mission, and what did he mean by vacation? Why would he meet her in some strange village? She knew that security was high in the Leaf Village, but it couldn't be that bad, could it? As she thought on these things she noticed a shadow following her.

Sakura didn't dare give away that she knew of her tail that would be giving up the element of surprise, so instead she continued on as normal. After about a mile, the shadow still hadn't given up following her and she was starting to wonder who would be following her in the first place. So she decided to pick up the pace, trying to out run her tail, or at least get far enough ahead to plant some traps. Even with her advanced chakra control she couldn't manage to pick up enough speed to lose the mystery person, but she did gain enough time to plant a few paper bombs along her trail.

She listened with satisfaction as they went off, obviously triggered by her pursuer. Going on for another mile or so she noticed that the shadow was back, this time getting closer and closer as it tailed her. So the paper bombs hadn't worked after all, it wasn't a very good trap, but still it should've slowed them down at least a little.

Seeing no way out of it Sakura turned to face her follower, waiting patiently for the mysterious person to reveal themself. It didn't take long, her pursuer, who had realized he'd lost any chance at a surprise attack when he ran into the paper bombs, reviled himself.

It was none other than Kisame, Itachi's partner of sorts within the Akatsuki. The blue skinned man looked Sakura up and down with his fish like eyes, making the girl feel self-conscious. When he finished with his visual examination, a huge shark like grin spread across his face.

"So your Itachi's babe," the shark grin got wider, "No wonder he wants to keep you all to himself, you've got one hot body."

Sakura shivered at the words, this was starting to creep her out.

"What do you want fish boy?" she retorted trying to sound brave, but feeling like jelly on the inside.

"Don't call me that, and Itachi wanted me to make sure you got to the village in one piece. He didn't want your vacation together to be spoiled by you ending up in the hospital," although the words were meant to comfort the grin remained, which had Sakura shaking internally.

Trying not to show weakness she stood up straighter, "Well then you can go back to tailing me if you want, but I'll be fine on my own."

"Oh you most defiantly won't be," with that Sakura found herself pinned between the shark man and a tree, her wrists in one of his firm hands, and one of his knees in between her legs to prevent her from kicking,

"What are you doing?" she practically screamed at him, "I thought you were supposed to be helping me."  
"Well Itachi didn't mention how hot you are, and because he didn't forbid it I think I'll have a taste of you," he said his lips right next to her ear. This was not good, there was no way in hell she was going to let shark boy rape her, no way in hell, but without the use of her arms or legs she couldn't fight back. She couldn't hold back a shiver of revulsion as Kisame began to lick her cheek, bringing his tongue around to her lips before crashing them together in a bruising kiss.

"You know that Itachi won't like this," because she couldn't fight back she had to talk her way out of this somehow, "He'll know you did something as soon as sees me. What does that mean for you? Will he use his Sharingan? Or will he just beat the crap out of you in real life?"

Sakura knew she'd won when a spark of fear came into Kisame's fishy eyes. Letting her go he jumped back, already knowing Sakura would try to attack as soon as she was free. It was a good thing he did too, or else there was defiantly no way he would be having any little fishy babies anytime soon. Sakura's breathing was heavy because of her fright, but she tried to calm it so she didn't look weak in front of the fish man.

"Let's go," he said gruffly, angry that his fear of Itachi had outweighed his lust.

"Fine," she said as she began to move in the direction of the village, not paying any attention to whether the man followed or not.

After hours of travel she finally made it to the village, noting that her tail had left her, and that the town seemed peaceful, despite the report of political unrest. Not knowing where The Sparkling Mermaid was, she had to ask around until she found the small, secluded tea shop at the end of a small side street.

She was so nervous, it had been three months since they had last met after all, and she'd been traveling all day, which made her already unruly short hair even worse. Trying to fix her hair a bit to look more presentable, she walked into the tea shop to see that no one was there. This was disheartening, Itachi said in the note to be here, so why wasn't he? She sat down at a table in the corner, and when the women came around to take her order she just asked for some green tea. She looked about again, willing Itachi to appear from the shadows as he usually does.

She was very surprised when her drink came, for it was not carried by the women who had taken her order. It was brought out by none other than Itachi, dressed, not in his usual Akatsuki robe, but in a rather normal looking shirt and pants. There was no headband on his forehead, and no Akatsuki ring on his finger either, which Sakura felt was exceedingly strange.

"Your drink," he said in a low voice, placing a steaming cup of tea in front of her. He then pulled a chair out right in front of her and took a seat, cradling his own cup of steaming tea. Sakura was at a loss for words, this was not the Itachi that everyone knew, the man who was dangerous and deadly, an S-rank criminal wanted for killing his entire clan. This was Itachi as few had seen him, a caring, understanding individual, who used a mask of coldness it hide his inner turmoil.

"Itachi, what is this all about?" that was the first thing out of her mouth, not something mushy like 'Oh Itachi I missed you' or 'I haven't seen you in forever, hold me'. She felt kind of embarrassed by her lack of sympathy, but she was very confused and wanted answers as soon as possible.

"Oh my blossom, always so eager to understand. Fine I'll tell you what this is about, but first you have to do something for me," a smile played on his lips.

"And what would that be?" she asked quizzically, restraining herself from jumping over the table and kissing those gorgeous lips.

"Kiss me," he said simply, almost as if knowing that's exactly what she wanted to do.

Sakura was all too happy to comply, leaning over the table to give him a chaste kiss on the lips, even though she wanted to do so much more.

"Well you obviously got my note, either that or you met Kisame on your way here. Based on that I would think that this would be very clear. We're on vacation, just the two of us. No skirting around the Hokage, or that pesky Naruto, or all of your friends. This week it's just you and me, no interference from anywhere, or anyone," he smiled seductively while delivering the final line of his explanation.

"Wait, what about the mission I was given?" she asked still not understanding how that fit into anything.

"The mission is real, well it is as far as paper work is concerned, and the village will get paid for your time, but there is no political leader in danger, and there are no threats. That is unless you count me," he'd thought up a brilliant plan, Sakura had to admit. This way no one would know about their little meet up, for a job like this, once a ninja had been given the task, it's their job to complete it an come back, there really were no follow ups, which meant as long as the Leaf Village got their money, their tracks would be very well covered.

"So that means I get an entire week with you?" she was almost afraid to ask, fearing the answer might be no.

"Yes, an entire week to do whatever you want with me..." he paused, allowing Sakura's mind to wander, thinking about exactly what they would be doing over the next week.

"Sounds amazing," she said dreamily, her mind still wandering.

"Oh it will be, now let me show you to the bedroom we'll be using," he motioned to a back door that lead out of the tea shop. Following him out the door, Sakura squeaked as Itachi picked her up bridal style and carried her up some stairs connected to the back of the building. Once at the top Itachi lightly kicked the door in, revealing a glorious suite. There was a king size bed that took up about a quarter of the room and was adorned in black sheets with a red comforter, while the other spaces were filled with a plush red leather couch, a black wood bookshelf, and a dark dresser. Sakura could see a door hidden behind a gauzy black curtain, which she assumed was the door to the bathroom.

Itachi gently set her down on the bed, removing her back pack from his shoulders, and coming over to lie beside her. He slowly brought his lips closer to hers, closing the gap achingly slow. It was driving her crazy, so she decided to bridge the gap herself, bringing her lips together in a passionate kiss.

In that instant she forgot about her day of travel, her encounter with Kisame, and her promise to Kakashi. All she wanted to do was stay here, lips locked with the man she loved, but was forbidden to love.

As they pulled away, needing air, Itachi smiled again, "Happy vacation Sakura. I hope you enjoy it my blossom."

**So there you have it the first chapter of my fan requested ItachixSakura story. Don't worry things will heat up in the next couple chapters I promise, just give me a chance to write them.**

**Once again thanks for reading and don't forget to review.**


	2. Chapter 2 Showering

**A/N: So this chapter is basically nothing but smut (guess where it's gonna happen), although there is a really amusing/touching scene at the end. This is only my second attempt at writing smut scenes so don't bite my head off.**

**Sorry it took me so long to update, I blame life for my lack of time to write.**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed my first chapter, I hope you like the second. Please review after you read, tell me what you thought, how you felt, etc. I know exactly where the plots going to go, but I might tweak it a bit based on your reviews.**

**Thanks again for reading. **

**silverdragon**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used in this story.**

Chapter 2 Showering

"So what do you want to do first?" Itachi asked, as they pulled away from another deep, passionate kiss. Sakura knew exactly what she wanted to do first, shower. She wanted to get all the dirt and grime off her body from her day of travel, but she also wanted to finally be with her lover after three months apart. An idea started to form in her head, it was something she'd wanted to do for a while, but Itachi was never able to stay long enough for them to try.

"I want to take a shower," she stated simply, a sly smile on her face.

"Fine, I can wait out here if you want," Itachi laid back on the bed, showing off his form to Sakura, almost tempting her forget about the shower.

"Nope, you're coming with me," grabbing his arm she pulled him off the bed and towards the bathroom. Opening the door she pulled him inside and quickly locked the door, one could never be too cautious. She then walked over to the shower, turning the hot water on to let it run for a bit before trying to adjust the temperature. Gliding over to the mirror she took her headband off, there would be no need for it now, and placed it along the large counter that had various bathroom supplies spread along its surface. Looking over to Itachi she gave a wicked grin, starting to pull off her shirt in a seductive manner, slowly pulling it up inch by inch.

This had the effect she intended, she could see a bulge growing in his pants at her little performance. Next Sakura took off her skirt, letting it pool around her ankles before throwing it in the corner with her foot. Now she was standing in just her underwear and chest bindings, watching Itachi staring at her, almost willing her to take off more. She just smiled again, and sauntered over to the shower, fixing the water temperature so it was just the way she liked it, all the while waving her ass back and forth so Itachi could get a good look. Looking over her shoulder she could see Itachi practically whimpering with need.

"Now I've got you," she whispered sliding across the floor. She stopped right in front of him, and gently placed her hand on the ever growing bulge. He moaned out her name, and she loved the way he sounded so needy. She began to rub his erection, gently at first, but going harder and faster, until she had him panting with need.

"Take it out please," he whimpered, watching as Sakura instead lifted up his shirt, pulling the fabric away and tossing it into a corner.

"Touch me Itachi, I know you want to," she said seductively in his ear, her warm breath trickling down to his neck as she bit down, hard. He gasped at the sharp pain and felt her draw blood, which she was quick to wipe away with a flick of her tongue. He began moving his hands down her body, caressing her breasts through the remaining fabric, and landing on her hips. As he slowly pulled her underwear down he could see just how turned on she was, the underwear were soaked, and her juices had begun to run down her legs.

"That….. feels….. so….. good… Itachi," she panted out as he licked his way up her thighs, after discarding the troublesome underwear.

"Will you….. take it out now?" he asked, lapping up the juices as they ran down her legs.

"Yes," she whispered into his ear as she began to undo his belt. Pulling off his pants and underwear with a quick jerk she took in the sight of him, three months of waiting had led to her wanting him more than ever. She grabbed his cock and started pumping, loving the moans of pleasure she received from her actions. Pumping harder and faster, until she knew he was about to cum all over the floor.

"Sakura….. I'm gonna…uh," Itachi panted out.

"Wait," she commanded, getting down on her hands and knees, and taking his length in one hand. She licked the tip, tasting the pre-cum that oozed out, letting her tongue twirl around. Allowing her tongue to caress his erection a bit she glided the full length into the very back of her throat. Sucking she started humming one of her favorite songs, sending Itachi over the edge. He came, spurting white seed into her mouth, which she drank up greedily. Letting her mouth slide away from his erection with a popping noise she brought her lips up to his, smashing them together in a kiss. Sakura let his tongue enter her mouth, moaning with pleasure, and loving the feel of his tongue as it dove into every crevice of her mouth.

They pulled away, but only because they both needed oxygen, which is when Sakura remembered what they were supposed to be doing. The thought was lost when Itachi pulled at her chest bindings, effectively loosening them until they too landed on the floor. He began to rub her sensitive nipples, making them perk up as she moaned in need. He brought his mouth down to one, and bit down, hard, causing her to scream in pain and ecstasy. He began to suck on the tender flesh, rolling it in between his teeth before giving the same treatment to the other one. Sakura was gasping in pleasure, barely able to take a breath while exposed to this type of excitement.

When Itachi was sure that he'd done enough to Sakura's nipples he grabbed her ass, that was so plump and firm he started to get hard again as he dug his fingers into the flesh. She gasped, allowing his tongue to slip into her mouth again, and pull hers out to begin a complicated dance. As their tongues were twirling he picked her up by her ass and placed her one the counter, brushing off bottles of shampoo and bars of soap. Once she was sitting on the counter she wrapped her legs around his torso, causing fiction that further aroused him. He couldn't take it anymore, gentle placing his tip next to her entrance, he looked into her eyes for permission, which she gave in the form of a scream.

"PUT IT IN NOW!" she begged thrusting her hips forward to meet his as he pushed roughly inside of her. Oh god she was so tight, but that was the way he liked it. Sakura's heat enveloped his throbbing member, causing him to moan in pleasure. He began thrusting into her, slowly at first but picking up the pace with every stride. She bucked her hips to meet his on each thrust, causing him to dig deeper inside her. He hit the spot, which sent ripples of pleasure all through her body, and thrusting forward he hit it again and again. After pounding into her for a little while longer he was at his climax, just as she was reaching hers.

They came at the same time, her muscles contracting around his shaft and causing him to spurt his seed into her warm body. He pumped a few times more, then pulled out slowly, watching as the milky white liquid began to run out of her entrance and down her legs.

"How about that shower now, my blossom" he said with a smirk as soon as they had caught their breath.

"Sounds like a perfect way to clean up," she said tiredly pulling him into the shower. The water felt wonderful on her skin, rinsing off the dirt from her day of travel, and the evidence from what they had just done. She felt Itachi gently raise her wet hair and kiss her neck, but this kiss held only love and tenderness, not the passion they'd shared previously. Sakura turned to face her lover as he reached over to get the shampoo that was placed on a shelf in the shower. She watched him place a dollop of the shampoo on his hand, rubbing them together to get a lather going. He put his hands in her hand and massaged her scalp until there was a tower of white bubbles on her head shaping the locks into a spiky mess.

She laughed, thinking about how funny she must have looked and grabbed the shampoo to do the same to Itachi. Sakura's fingers gently pulled through his wet hair, loving the feel of Itachi's dark locks, and wishing she could run her fingers through his hair every day. Once his hair looked as ridicules as hers, she placed a bit of the suds on his chin, making him smile, and chuckle.

Pulling Sakura to his chest he gave a low laugh, "You're a strange little blossom aren't you?"

She pouted up at him, trying to look hurt for added effect, "Why would you say that Itachi, I thought I was perfect in every way possible."

He kissed her lightly on the mouth then pulled away, "You are. Now how about we finish this shower and take a nap, I'm exhausted. Then after that we can go for a walk around town, how does that sound?"

Sakura had to admit that she was tired, the day of travel had worn her down, and their previous activities only added to her fatigue. The idea of going out into the village had her a little worried though, what if someone recognized Itachi, not that many people would, but there was the off chance that someone would notice him. She bit her bottom lip, her concern slipping through and revealing itself to Itachi.

"Don't worry, when we go out I'll be sure to act inconspicuous. There is no way that anyone will notice me, not without my coat that is," he chuckled trying to lighten the mood, but Sakura still had a nagging doubt in the back of her mind.

"Okay then, after a nap we'll go out," she conceded, knowing that an argument with Itachi was not a good idea, considering he'd gone to all of this trouble to ensure she had a good time. He beamed, placing another light kiss on her lips as he began to rinse out her hair. When they had finished cleaning up they went into the bed and practically passed out they were so tired. Sakura's exhaustion wasn't enough to stop her from snuggling tightly to Itachi's chest, relaxing when he put his hand around her and pulled her in tighter. She breathed in the scent of him as she slowly drifted towards sleep.

**So that was chapter two of this story. Please take the time to review, I would really appreciate it.**

**Thanks again for reading, the next chapter should be out a little quicker, on account that I know exactly what's going to happen, I just have to type it up into a coherent story.**


	3. Chapter 3 Sunset Walks

**A/N: First off chapter 3 yay! I finally finished writing it, and I have to say I think it's interesting.**

**Before I forget, (which I will) I've tried to edit the previous chapter to get rid of some of the more confusing grammatical issues, so if you want to go back and read it that's great, if not well you could probably live without doing so.**

**On another note, I've made it a conscious decision to post a new chapter every week. (Really late Friday night or really early Saturday morning) This is what's been happening all along, but I'd just like to make it official, mainly for my own sake.**

**So thanks again for reading and enjoy this chapter.**

**silverdragon**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.**

Chapter 3 Sunset Walks

Sakura woke up from her nap feeling good and rested. Stretching out she looked at the bed next to her, only to find it empty.

"Okay Itachi you can come out now, jokes over," she said to the empty room, eying the darker corners waiting for Itachi to materialize from the shadows.

"Itachi?" she spoke into the air, the words coming out more of a whisper. Looking around the room she still saw no sign of Itachi, which is when the panic started to set in. She tried to be rational, examining the room again, then walking to the bath room to check there. He wasn't in the bathroom, which sent icicles into her heart, pushing her to the ground in despair.

This wasn't supposed to happen, he wasn't supposed to leave her this time, so why wasn't he here? To her fear muddled mind it could only mean one of two things, either Itachi had left her alone, just like his asshole brother had, or something was terribly wrong. She was so absorbed in her panicked crying that she didn't notice when the door open and closed with a soft sound.

Itachi stood still for only a moment before raced over to her, bringing the fragile girl into his arms as he softly cooed reassuring words to her. She wanted to push him off, not understanding that it was her lover's arms around her, but she didn't seem to have the strength to fight against the warm embrace. When Sakura finally calmed down enough to register that it was Itachi holding her, and talking softly to her she felt immediate relief, which was closely followed by anger.

She pushed away from the one who had been comforting her just a moment ago, and turned her fury on him full force, "Why did you leave me alone? I thought you had left, or that something had happened to you." She started crying again, knowing that she wasn't really mad at Itachi, more at herself for being so vulnerable, again.

"Shhh, calm down my love, I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going. I had forgotten about your fear of being left alone after what my idiot brother did, I should have known better," he hung his head, hating to admit that he was wrong, but knowing he had to in order to appease the pink haired girl in front of him. After a few moments of silence, Itachi resumed his comforting, rubbing small circles on her back, and petting her hair.

Sakura didn't push him away this time, rather she leaned into his touches, allowing herself to relax and calm down after her outburst. When she had finally stopped crying she looked up into Itachi's face, his coal black eyes showing remorse for what he had inadvertently done, as well as his love. She knew she shouldn't be so hard on him, this was the first time they'd actually been together for a long period of time, and he hadn't really known her long enough to know all her fears and issues.

Sakura looked into his face and gave him a small smile from her tear stained face, showing that all was forgiven. Itachi hated that look, so hopeless and broken, he decided to wipe it away with a quick loving kiss, filling it with his emotions, something he didn't do often. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead on hers, breathing a little heavily, and locking gazes with her emerald eyes.

"I love you Sakura, nothing is ever going to change that. I will always be here for you, and nothing can keep me from you, I promise," he said it with conviction, knowing it was only partially true, but wanting her to understand the depths of his devotion.

"I know that silly," she swatted his chest playfully, "But I can't help but be worried, so many people have left me behind, because I wasn't strong enough, or pretty enough, or because I was an 'annoying little girl'. Let's just say I don't deal with being alone very well." She half laughed at her last statement trying to lighten the mood a bit, but it came out wrong, hollow and painful. She felt Itachi's hand grip her arm tightly for a moment, wondering why he was acting this way.

Her internal question was answered when Itachi practically growled, "Sasuke, I'm going to kill him for what he did to you." She could hear the hate behind the words, understanding, at least in part his feelings. She actually wanted to rip Sasuke limb from limb, but knew that she lacked the power to do it, she was a healer, not really a fighter.

"You know there are about twenty other people who feel the same way. Let them take care of Sasuke, I don't want you to get hurt," she stated, hoping it would sate the unexplainable emotion in his eyes. He looked away, weather to gather his thoughts, or to hide his emotions Sakura didn't know, but when he turned back to her his eyes were clear, devoid of the previous anger. He stood up, helping her off the floor with one hand, while the other was reaching around to grab the reason for his absence earlier.

Giving a timid smile he held out a bouquet of beautiful lilies out to Sakura, "I got these for you, that's why I was gone when you woke up. I wanted to make your first day with me special." She grabbed the flowers, loving their color, and sniffed them, taking in the delicious aroma.

"They're beautiful, I love them so much, but just the fact that were here, together, that makes it special enough for me. You didn't have to give me a panic attack just to get some flowers." She gave him a smile, placing the flowers on a table, and walking over to give him a quick kiss on the lips. When she pulled back Sakura looked out the window, and seeing that the sun was going to set in about a half hour she grabbed his hand and led him towards the door.

"So you want to go on that walk now?" she asked, opening the door a fraction of an inch with her free hand.

"Sure, there's somewhere I want to show you, it's so beautiful this time of day. I know you're going to love it," he pulled her out of the door and quickly locked it before grabbing her hand again and leading her into the village. They walked down the street until they hit they hit the edge of the village, stopping only when Sakura pulled back and gave Itachi a confused look.

"Don't worry I know where I'm going," he reassured her while pulling a blindfold out of his pocket. She eyed the blindfold warily, Itachi knew she didn't like to have her senses restricted, and losing her eye sight was probably her worst fear. However Sakura did trust him, so when he walked behind her and tied the blindfold on she didn't resist.

"Why do you need the blindfold?" she asked as soon as it was in place.

"Well I don't want you seeing the place until you're there, basically I want to surprise you," he said into her ear, making small shivers run up and down her spine.

"So many surprises, how long have you been working on this vacation?" she asked it as an afterthought, more wondering to herself then actually wanting an answer.

When she received one Sakura was slightly startled, "I've been working on this little trip for months now. I just had to find a way to get you here so no one would notice your absence. I would've just asked you to take some vacation time, but you're Sakura, the girl who works non-stop, taking a vacation would actually look more out of the ordinary then planning the whole 'fake mission' thing."

"Am I really that bad?" she asked as he began to lead her by the hand.

"Yes, yes you are," she could hear the smirk in his voice, and it made her smile to think that he actually spoke the truth. She did work too hard, getting stronger so she wouldn't be left behind, keeping herself busy so she wasn't a burden. Dwelling on such depressing thoughts wasn't helping her though, this vacation was supposed to be fun, and as such she would try and have the best time she could, forgetting her problems for a few days shouldn't be that hard.

Sakura heard the sound of running water, and a lot of it, guessing they were probably near a waterfall of some kind, but not knowing much more than that. A breeze blew her way, bringing with it the fresh scent of lavender, lilies, and roses. Now she was very curious to see where they were, itching to take the blindfold off, but knowing that if she tried Itachi would just stop her. He came to an abrupt stop in front of her, causing Sakura to bump into his back.

"We're here," he practically sang out, walking behind Sakura to undo the blindfold, and allow her to see the sight before them.

It was beautiful, there was a small garden near the base of a waterfall, full of gorgeously blooming flowers causing brilliant mash of colors. The light mist from the waterfall filled the air with a crisp coolness, and as Sakura took a deep breath she could taste the clear water on her tongue. What made it even more glorious was the sunset over the waterfall, turning the white water into a colorful light show, full of bright yellows and oranges, as well as deep blood reds and tinges of purple.

"It's amazing," Sakura turned to Itachi, who looked about as taken in by the sight as she had been.

"I knew you'd love it," he stated coming over to hug her from the back as they both watched to colors in the waterfall change.

They stayed like that until the sun had fully set, and night had begun to take over. The stars slowly began to come out, one at a time, until the entire sky was full of the tiny pinpricks of light. The moon was soon to follow, bringing with it pale light which reflected off the water and gave it an iridescent glow. The moon light brought the garden into a different kind of life with its reflections, making once bright cheerful flowers look sleepy and fragile.

"Thank you for taking me here Itachi, it's perfect," Sakura said it almost breathlessly, the sight before her was almost to prefect for words.

"I knew you'd love it," he stated again, but this time she could see the smug smile on his lips, making her want to whack him just to wipe it off his face. Sakura walked over to a rose bush and delicately picked one of the flowers. Bringing it up to her nose she breathed in the intoxicating aroma feeling slightly light headed at the intensity of the scent.

Itachi chuckled at her antics, putting a hand and her waste to steady her. He allowed himself to rub small circles on one of her hip bones with his thumb, drawing out a slight sigh from the pink haired beauty. He pulled her into another kiss, this one more passionate than any of the others they had shared, or maybe the atmosphere made it seem that way. Itachi wished that things could stay caught in this moment, where he wasn't an outlaw, and this was just a gentle exchange between two lovers.

He felt her shiver, and broke away from the kiss. It was getting rather cold, and he didn't want his blossom to freeze, so he took her hand and started leading her away from the little garden.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked half dazed.

"Let's go back to our room, it's getting cold, and I'd rather be in a warm bed right now," Itachi said mischievously.

Sakura let him led her through the woods, and back to their room, trusting that Itachi would get them there safely.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading, and please review. You'll hear from me again in a week.**


	4. Chapter 4 By The Moonlight

**A/N: Sorry for not posting this yesterday, I give you permission to hate me, because I promised to post every Friday. There was just so much going on this week, and I got tied up yesterday night with no ability to post. Once again I'm sorry, I hope this chapter makes up for it, although it probably won't because it's more of transition chapter then anything. There will be a nice little smut scene next chapter though so maybe that will make up for my lack of posting.**

**Thanks for reading, and enjoy this transition chapter.**

**silverdragon**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.**

Chapter 4 By The Moonlight

They walked through the forest in silence, Itachi leading the way back to the village while Sakura followed behind, clutching his hand like a lifeline, if she didn't she'd probably get lost. Besides the sounds of their footsteps and breathing the forest was suspiciously quiet, there were no frogs croaking, or crickets chirping, which set Sakura's nerves on edge for some reason. Even though she was worked up about the lack of night sounds she couldn't help but admire the tranquility of the forest at night, bathed in rich moonlight, allowing for everything to be seen in shining shades of metallic silver.

She was so caught up in the beauty all around her that she didn't initially notice when Itachi stiffened, his grip on her hand becoming slightly rougher. Sakura looked up at him with questioning eyes, wondering what the man had sensed. He brought his finger to his lips urging her to be quiet while he let go of her hand. He drifted into the shadows, disappearing in an instant, and Sakura found herself alone in the now frightening woods.

She stood still for a moment, before hearing voices whispering softly a few yards away. She followed the sounds, using her skills as a shinobi to stay hidden from view while she listened in.

"It's getting dangerous, you need to leave now before they find you with her," the words came from a voice she recognized but couldn't quiet place.

"You don't get it do you, I want to be with her now, no I need to be, something as trivial as that won't make me leave. I made a promise that I intend to keep," that voice was defiantly Itachi's and from what she could tell they were talking about her.

"You knew this was a long shot to begin with, and now that you've shown your face so many times it won't be too long before word gets to the Leaf Village. Do you want to be captured?" The other voice sounded very irritated, and Sakura could feel the name of its owner slowly rising in her thoughts.

"Maybe I want to get caught," Itachi whispered just loud enough for Sakura to catch. The words didn't make sense to the hidden girl, if Itachi got caught he would be sent to prison at best, sentenced to death at worst, and it would mean that they would be separated, which Sakura knew Itachi would never want.

"You're an idiot, what about the Akatsuki? What about me, your partner? I thought you liked your life, what did she do to change that?" Now she knew who the voice belonged to, the fishy face, Itachi's partner within the Akatsuki, Kisame. Why were they talking about her and why did Kisame sound so, hurt?

Itachi smirked to himself, leave it to Sakura to listen in on their conversation. He understood it was in a shinobi's nature to get information without being caught, and honestly he knew that she was worried about him, but he didn't understand why she thought being sneaky was a good idea. He would've told her, eventually. Itachi sighed, well there was really no point in allowing her to stay hidden, might as well bring her into the conversation, no matter how troublesome it might become.

"I know your hiding back there, you can come out Sakura," Itachi's calm voice echoed in the silence, causing Sakura to flinch and step back on a twig, breaking it with a loud snap. Her cover was blown, so she might as well show herself. She jumped down from the tree she'd been hiding in, landing with a soft thump inside the small clearing.

"How long has she been there?" Kisame asked, surprised.

"Almost the whole conversation, I only left her a few yards away," Itachi motioned for her to come closer, wanting to reassure her. She came over slowly, eyeing the other man warily, until she was standing next the Itachi.

"Itachi, what were you guys talking about?" Sakura asked innocently while she leaning into Itachi's chest. She tried to keep the worry out of her voice, but failed miserably.

Itachi put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in closer to his chest, "Would you like the truth, or something that would make you feel better?"

One look at her expression told him all that he needed to know.

"The truth it is then. Well apparently Kisame here is worried that I've shown myself around this village a little too much. He thinks that word will get to the Hokage that I'm here, and that she'll send a team to apprehend me. I think he's an idiot, but then again he never listens to me so…" Itachi shrugged as if it was nothing, an average happening in his life.

"Don't do that, I know you're just trying to make it sound like nothing so I won't freak out, but I won't let anything happen to you. If the fish face thinks that it's going to happen, you need to leave so it doesn't. I couldn't bear it if you got captured because of me," she was trying to put on a brave face, but her eyes gave her away. Kisame looked a little miffed at the use of the nickname "fish face", but his eyes shown with a little new respect for the girl who had made his life a living hell.

Honestly ever sense the other two had met he'd been the lookout, not that Sakura would've know. Whenever Itachi met with the girl in secret Kisame had basically kept watch, making sure no one found them together. It was tedious work, but he'd never seen his partner so happy, so he'd gone along, but now this ridiculous love was becoming a danger, and he really didn't want to lose his partner to some girl.

"I have a feeling they'll be coming in a day or so, you should probably leave by then," Kisame said gruffly before walking into the cover of the trees.

They stood there for a moment, watching Kisame's retreating form. When he was gone Sakura looked up at Itachi's face, "When were you going to tell me?"

"I wasn't. I never really thought about what would happen, I just wanted to be with you. To actually be able to act like a couple, at least for a while," he sounded so defeated, knowing what was going to happen next.

Sakura shivered a little and looked around, "We should be getting back, it's getting cold." What she didn't say was pretty clear by her actions, she didn't want anyone overhearing their conversation.

"Fine let's go," Itachi grabbed her hand again, leading her back to the village and the teashop they were staying above. They walked through the empty tea shop and made their way to the back of the building, climbing the stairs quietly. Itachi unlocked the door and ushered her inside, closing the door after he'd walked in.

"You need to leave, now," she said it to his back, knowing that saying the words to his face would be extremely difficult.

He put his head in his hands, sighing heavily before turning around, "Sakura this wasn't supposed to happen, I was supposed to be careful, not raise any suspicions, and go about this week as if I wasn't a criminal. I just wanted to spend a week with you, not have to sneak around just to be around you. It was going to be romantic, we were going to do all of the things that normal couples do, romantic sunset walks, eating dinner together, have a picnic, and just enjoy each other's company. Why can't we be together like normal people? Why are we so different?"

"You know why Itachi, you're an S-rank criminal, and I'm the Hokage's apprentice. I know it sounds clique but it's the truth. We can never have a normal relationship, and I've come to terms with that, it's time for you to do the same," The words stung, and no matter how much she wished they weren't true, they were. "This last day has honestly been the best of my life, and I honestly never expected to spend this much time with you, but I don't want you to endanger yourself any further on my part. You need to leave, so you can continue your life and I can continue mine."

Itachi was hurt, but what Sakura was saying made sense, more sense than this ridiculous plan of his. What had he been thinking, there was no way they'd even be able to be normal, not with his past, so why had he even tried? The answer was simple, he loved her. The way they'd met had been unconventional at best, but ever sense that day he'd felt a need to be near the beautiful pink haired girl in front of him.

"One more night, then I'll leave in the morning," he said, looking into her eyes for a reaction. There was a spark, a little hint of acceptance, but it was all he needed to press his case further. "Please just one night, let me be with you once more before going. I don't know when I'll be able to see you again, so please just let me stay. Besides Kisame said that I'd have at least two days before word got back, I should be able to get away if I leave tomorrow."

He knew he'd won. The words had driven a steak into her heart, knowing that this might be the last time in a long time caused her resolve to crumble. She'd concede, just this once.

"Fine, as long as you're sure, but wake me up before you leave, I actually want to say good bye this time," It was simple request, but to Sakura it meant so much more. It was finally a chance to say goodbye after all the times he'd just left.

He walked over and picked up her hand, gently kissing the back of her hand, "For you, anything." The burning desire behind his onyx eyes was enough to send her off the edge, and she felt herself get very warm at his touch. He started kissing her wrist, working his way up her arm until he was at her neck, nibbling the sensitive flesh. She moved her head to give him more room as his arms began to wander over her body, gently grabbing her hips and lifting her onto the bed.

_Meanwhile, back at the Leaf Village…_

Tsunade sat behind her desk going through the mass amounts of paperwork piled up in front of her. She looked out the window wondering just how well Sakura was doing on her mission. Some information had just come in that would endanger the girl, which is why action had to be taken immediately.

Her head turned when the door to her office was opened admitting two shinobi, both hastily dressed and still sleepy.

"What do you want Grandma Tsunade?" the younger of the two asked, rubbing his head through his bright yellow hair.

"Yes, why did you call on us at such a late hour, Lady Hokage?" the other man asked, his one visible eye reflecting surprise.

"Well I've called you here because of Sakura and her mission. It's been brought to my attention that someone matching the description of one Itachi Uchiha has been seen in the village that Sakura is currently carrying out her assignment in. Now the accusations may be false, however, because Sakura is a valuable medical-nin I wish to ensure her safety. So I'm sending you two in as back up." Tsunade explained calmly, not letting her internal worry for the girl show through.

"What? Sakura may be in trouble? We've got to go help her," the yellow haired boy burst out, slamming his hands on the desk in front of him.

The other man put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "Calm down Naruto, like Lady Hokage said it may just be a false alarm, she's just trying to cover all her bases." He turned to look at the women behind the desk, "How accurate is your source? Can they be trusted?"

"I'm afraid to say that my source is incredibly reliable Kakashi, which is why I'm sending you to check it out. Remember to proceed with caution, this is Itachi Uchiha we're talking about, you never know what kinds of tricks he'll have up his sleeve," Tsunade said it tiredly, wishing she could just take a day off every once in a while.

"Thank you Lady Hokage, we'll leave right away," Kakashi bowed, then turned to walk out the door.

"Yeah don't worry Grandma Tsunade, we'll bring Sakura back safe and sound," Naruto saluted before leaving to pack.

"If they leave within the next hour, they should be able to get to the village by sunrise, perhaps before," she thought to herself as she sighed into her chair, "Please be careful Sakura."

**A/N: So there you have it, my transition chapter for the next events of the story. Hope you enjoyed it and please review to tell me what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5 Nighttime

**A/N: Okay this chapter contains some pretty graphic lemon…. You have all been warned. This chapter is a lot shorter, mainly because it's pure lemon with almost no plot development what so ever.**

**Thanks for reading, I promise next chapter will be longer, and please take the time to review.**

**silverdragon**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.**

Chapter 5 Nighttime

Itachi lifted her up by her hips and placed her on the bed while capturing her mouth with his. He gently bit down on her bottom lip, asking for entry so he could deepen the kiss even further. He received a small gasp from her, allowing him to enter her mouth and start exploring her wet cavern. Sakura started to push back roughly, pushing her own tongue into his mouth when he least expected it, gaining the upper hand for a moment while she explored. He quickly regained dominance, and then pulled away, drawing his kisses down her jaw line and onto her neck.

His hands had started to wander, one reaching under her shirt, and gently squeezing her breast. The other wandered to the top of her shirt, undoing the zipper to expose more of her delicious neck. He mouth wandered down to her collar bone, nipping and biting the skin he found there until he finally latched on and started sucking, marking Sakura as his. She was his blossom and no one was going to take her away.

She let out a moan, drawing his attention and sending all his blood rushing south to his hardening member. He managed to get her shirt off, leaving her in only her chest bindings, which he quickly cut away with a kunai. He threw the kunai into the wall with one hand while the other started to play with her nipples, pinching the sensitive piece of flesh. His mouth move down to the other one, licking around it until he finally took it into his mouth, sucking lightly. This gained him another gasp from Sakura, followed by a long drawn out moan.

His free hand worked its way down to her skirt, bunching the fabric into his fist while he pulled them down slowly. Before he could get very far he found himself thrown onto the bed, his head resting on the soft pillows while Sakura smirked down at him from her new position straddling his hips.

"My turn," she whispered seductively into his ear, licking around the earlobe until biting down on it, hard. She was rewarded with a light hiss of pained pleasure, so she bit down a little harder, feeling a light trickle of blood flow into her mouth. Sakura quickly licked the blood away, easing some of the pain she'd just caused. She pulled his shirt off, then found her favorite spot to tease on his chest, just below his right nipple, and began nipping and biting the flesh.

Itachi could feel his arousal getting extremely hard in reaction to her teasing. This was a fact that wasn't missed by Sakura, who moved a hand down to his throbbing manhood and began squeezing it through the cloth confines. Itachi's hips bucked into her touch, but she quickly used her other hand to hold him down, forcing his hips into the mattress with surprising strength. She smirked at him while she squeezed harder, earning a low moan from her lovers lips.

She stopped abruptly, both hands going to his pants as she slowly pulled them down, along with his underwear. She stared at his erection with lust filled eyes, grabbing hold of it with one hand while she started pumping up and down. Itachi's back arched off the bed at the touch, his hips thrusting into Sakura's hand. She continued to pump his arousal, increasing the speed little by little, until she had an incredibly fast pace going. She could feel he was about to cum, so she backed off a little, forcing the rhythem to slow down, until she'd brought him down slightly.

Then she stopped, gaining a growl of frustration from Itachi as she climbed off him and stripped off her remaining clothing. Sakura climbed back on top of her lover, and positioned herself so she her dripping entrance was lined up with his throbbing erection. Ever so slowly she pushed herself down on his hard arousal, sheathing it inside her tight heat. She sat there for a moment, loving the feeling of having Itachi inside of her, and trying to adjust to his size.

"So…. damn… tight….. god Sakura," Itachi gasped out as he tried to restrain himself from moving.

She lifted herself so that only the tip remained inside of her, and then plunged back down in a quick motion, causing a gasp of pleasure to come from her lips. Itachi groaned at the action, wanting ever so much to take control and fuck her into the mattress, but loving the way she managed to take control and pleasure him. Sakura's pace kept increasing until they were going incredibly hard and fast, each thrust working its way farther into her body. Itachi bucked his hips in time with hers, grabbing fistfuls of the sheets in an attempt to keep himself from crying out in ecstasy.

Itachi finally lost all his control as he flipped their bodies over so he was on top, never once removing himself from inside Sakura's body. He loved feeling how tight Sakura was, even though the last time they had done it was that morning. He pushed deeper into her, working his way to the edge as she let out plaintive moans.

"Ah, I-Itachi, faster, deeper," she wrapped her legs around his hips, forcing his arousal deeper into her, hitting her pleasure spot and causing her to scream in ecstasy. Itachi worked his hips so he hit that spot dead on every time he thrust in, each time earning a scream or moan from his lover. He could feel her coming onto an orgasm, so he increased the pace, adding onto the pleasure.

He brought his head up when Sakura started to claw into his back, breaking the skin and causing little streams of blood to flow from beneath her fingernails. He brought his lips to her ear and started whispering nonsense words to her, only stopping to bite down hard on her neck, breaking the skin and causing warm metallic blood to fill his mouth.

He licked at the wound, trying to lessen the pain, tasting her sweet blood on his tongue. He could feel himself nearing release, and was pushed off the edge when Sakura finally reached her orgasm, her walls clamping down on his erection. He thrust in a few more times before cumming deep inside her, filling her body with his seed.

They both collapsed on to the bed, Itachi using his arms to make sure he didn't crush the small girl beneath him. They stayed like that for a few minutes, riding out the high that was left from their orgasms. Itachi finally pulled out of Sakura, rolling onto his side and pulling the girl to his chest.

He kissed the top of her head, "I love you Sakura, my blossom."

"I love you too Itachi, please don't leave without saying goodbye," she murmured as she started to fall asleep.

"I won't, I promise," Itachi said as he pulled her in closer, breathing lightly on her hair. He felt sleep slowly claim him and let it lull him into vivid dreams.

Sakura hear the whispered words of her lover and smiled, this time she would get to say goodbye. Sleep took hold of her then, giving her beautiful dreams of the man she loved.

_Meanwhile back with Naruto and Kakashi….._

They were running through the forest as fast as possible, trying to reach the village where Sakura was stationed. The pair didn't know how reliable their information was, but they didn't really care. One of their friends could be in trouble, and that was enough of a reason to move as quickly as possible.

Naruto stepped into a trip wire, causing a net to ensnare him and hoist him up about ten feet off the ground. Kakashi rolled his one visible eye, leave it to Naruto to walk into an obvious trap. He quickly used a kunai to cut the blond haired boy down, telling the kid to be more careful.

Kakashi looked at the trap for a moment. It looked like a simple trap set by a hunter or maybe some kids for a prank, but upon closer inspection Kakashi could see that it was set up to perfection, it even had fail safes if the initial trip wire didn't work, it was something only a trained shinobi could pull off.

He shook his head, this was not good. Someone didn't want them to go into the village, and Kakashi could only guess who it was.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and once again please review.**

**I've been thinking about doing a prequel to this story, explaining how they met and such, but I'm not really sure if I should do it or not. I have an idea laid out, but I'm going to need to finish this first and flesh it out a little more before even trying to post it. Please review and tell me what you think, should I do it, should I not.**


	6. Chapter 6 The Truth Revealed

**A/N: Well this, my dears, is the chapter you've all been waiting for. What will happen? Well read and find out. I'm sorry to say that the next chapter will be this story's last. However I have decided to write a prequel to this wonderful story, because I think you should all get to know how the met. **

**Thanks for reading and please review and tell me what you thought.**

**silverdragon**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.**

Chapter 6 The Truth Revealed

Itachi woke up when someone started shaking him violently. His eyes snapped open, and quickly looked around the room for any enemies. He saw Kisame, hidden in the shadows in a corner of the room. He looked out the window to see that the sun was just peeking out on the horizon.

"What do you want Kisame?" he grumbled, not really awake yet.

"You need to leave, now." The man stepped out of the shadows and looked down at the bed.

"Why?" Itachi was woken up slightly by the statement.

"Shinobi are on their way here, one of them managed to spring my trap. So unless you want to be captured, I suggest you get dressed and leave," Kisame said as he walked to the door, opening it and leaving Itachi in the room.

The Uchiha looked over at Sakura, who was still sleeping on the bed, a small happy smile visible in her lips. What was he supposed to do? He'd promised Sakura that he'd leave if trouble arrived, but he also promised to wake her up and let her say goodbye. Indecision wracked his mind as he tried to think of what to do.

It was the paper bomb going off that did it. It exploded not too far from the tea shop, and Itachi could tell that the other shinobi were closing in on his location. He quickly got dressed, throwing on his Akatsuki robe over everything and putting his ring back on his finger. The robe and ring felt right to him, and it was then that he finally realized that there was no going back. He couldn't change who he was, no matter how much he wanted to, and just like Sakura had said, it was something he'd have to come to terms with.

He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a quick note for his blossom, gently placing it on the bedside table. He looked at her sleeping form on the bed, then leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Goodbye my love, I don't know when I'll see you again," he whispered as he opened a window and slipped into the shadows.

He stood outside the window for a few moments, hearing light footsteps on the stairs. When the door opened with a bang he heard Sakura wake with a start, he closed his eyes and let a few tears escape.

"Itachi?" he heard Sakura whisper, and it was all he could do not to jump back into the apartment and reassure the girl that he was still there. As it was he'd staid there too long, so he took his leave, jumping from rooftops until he reached the forest.

Sakura could tell something was off when she awoke to the sound of a door slamming open. She looked around frantically, her eyes coming to rest on the empty bed beside her. She whispered his name, almost hoping he would come back, but when there was no sound she sighed defeated. He had promised, but she guessed that some promises couldn't be kept.

She couldn't stop the tears from escaping as she looked down as her hands, not wanting to see the faces of the men who had barged in on her. When she started to sob a strong pair of arms wrapped around her, but she had to remind herself that these weren't Itachi's arms, which only made her cry more. Even so, Sakura found herself weeping into the chest of the person holding her, and when he started to comfort her, she knew exactly who it was.

"It's okay Sakura, everything's going to be okay," the voice of her yellow haired teammate drifted to her ears, calming her slightly.

"N-N-Naruto w-w-what are y-you doing h-here?" she sobbed as he hugged her tighter.

"We're here to make sure you're okay. We heard that Itachi might be in town, so we had to come check it out," the voice of Naruto was being a little too cheery for the situation, but at the moment Sakura didn't care.

While she continued to cry into Naruto's chest, Kakashi looked around the room, and spotted the note that Itachi had left. He read it over, and his eyebrows rose at what the note said.

"Sakura, I think this is for you," he said as he passed the note to the crying girl.

Once she was calmed down enough she began to read,

_My blossom,_

_I know this is probably going to get you into a lot of trouble, and I'm sorry, but I needed to say something before I left you. I love you, and even though I wasn't able to keep my second promise, I did keep the first. By the time you read this I will have gone, and whoever they sent to apprehend me will be there, probably ready to question you. I'm sorry I had to put you in this situation, but I know you can handle it, so please, just tell them the truth. Obviously due to the fact that our relationship will be known after this, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to see you again, and although this thought saddens me, it's probably for the best._

_Love Always,_

_Itachi_

When she finished new tears glistened in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. He still loved her, and right now that's all that mattered. She could face any of the ridicule and torment, as long as she knew that Itachi was alive, and that he still loved her.

"Would you like to explain here, or do you want us to bring you to Lady Hokage?" Kakashi's tone was harsh, but not as harsh as it could've been.

"Here, but can I get dressed first?" she blushed lightly when she realized she wasn't wearing anything underneath the blanket that was covering her.

"Fine, Naruto come outside with me," he opened the door and waited for Naruto to get up and follow him. After a quick puzzled look at Sakura he left, leaving the girl alone for a few minutes.

Sakura got up and started getting dressed, throwing on cloths until she was presentable. She picked the note up again, and held it to her chest.

"Thank you Itachi," she whispered into the empty room before opening the door and letting her teammates in again. When she looked at Naruto's face she saw the disbelief and slight anger there, which she understood, but the look still hurt. She sat down on the bed, head down, staring at her hands, while Kakashi thought of questions to ask her.

Naruto beat him to it, "What were you thinking? "

He didn't shoat the words, but he might as well have the anger and ice that laced his voice hitting Sakura like a slap.

"I love him," she said in a small voice, "I don't expect you to understand, just please don't hate me."

"Sakura," Kakashi's voice reached her ears and his tone was surprisingly gentle, "Just tell us what happened, top to bottom, don't leave anything out."

She looked up to see her two teammates, they both looked pissed, but were trying to hide it. She sighed and took a deep breath begin to recount how she and Itachi had met, and everything after that. She started to blush when talking about their secret meetings, but Kakashi said to not leave anything out, so no matter how embarrassing she had to tell them.

When she finished, she studied their faces, trying to figure out how the information made them feel.

Kakashi was the first one to speak, "You know we have to tell Lady Hokage, right?"

"I understand that, but please let me tell her, I don't want her hearing about this from someone else," Sakura knew that the consequences of her actions were finally starting to catch up with her, and she would face them head on, because that would make it easier for everyone.

"Sakura, how could you?" Naruto asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Naruto, please just let me explain," she reached out to grab his arm, but he pulled it away.

"Get your things, we're leaving," his voice was cold, and he walked out of the door without even looking back.

Sakura sat on the bed, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks again. She clenched and unclenched her hands, trying to get used to the feeling of having Naruto this mad at her.

"Let it go," Kakashi advised, "He views you like a sister, and he's just stunned. Give him a few days, he'll forgive you by then."

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei," she said as she stood up, gathering her things and putting them into her pack. When she was done, Kakashi led her out the door, closing it behind her, and following Naruto down the stairs.

They traveled in silence, Kakashi leading the other two back to the Leaf Village. When they finally made it, they went straight to the Hokage's office, waiting none too patiently for her to have a free moment.

When the door to the office opened they were ushered inside, Tsunade was sitting behind her desk, barely visible over stacks of papers.

"So what do you have to report?" she asked, knowing it couldn't be good based on their facial expressions.

"Well, Lady Tsunade, you see," Sakura didn't know why it was so hard to tell her mentor, but she couldn't seem to get the words to form. She didn't have to fumble for very long before Naruto stepped in.

"Itachi was there alright, but he got away before we could catch him. He left a nice little present though." As he spoke the words he looked straight at Sakura, causing the girl to blush uncontrollably.

Tsunade looked puzzled for a moment before Kakashi stepped in, "I think Sakura should tell you what happened. Alone." On the last word he shot a pointed stare at Naruto, ushering him outside so the two could talk in peace.

"Sakura, what was Naruto talking about?" Tsunade questioned, her confusion clear in her tone.

"Oh Lady Tsunade, I'm in love with Itachi Uchiha." The words slipped out as she fell to the floor in silent sobs. Tsunade quickly walked over to the crying girl and pulled her into a motherly hug.

"Shhh, it's okay, just tell me, let it all out," the Hokage urged, rubbing circles on Sakura's back to get her to calm down.

Taking a deep breath Sakura told her everything she'd told the boys, leaving nothing out. When she was done Tsunade had stood up and started pacing. Walking back and forth across her office trying to think of what to do.

"This is bad, I hope you know that Sakura. You've had intimate relations with an S-rank criminal, and that fact alone is enough to warrant an arrest. Not to mention that he's infiltrated this village countless times, and you never told anyone. I'm upset with you, and I can't pretend to understand what was going through your head at the time, but I guess I understand your love for him," Tsunade ranted above the girl, trying to figure out what had happened to her star pupil.

"Okay now I have some questions that I'd like you to answer honestly. During the times you were with him, did you ever talk about your missions?"

"No."

"Did you ever talk about the Akatsuki?"

"No."

"Did you ever inform him of any weaknesses in our defenses?"

"No."

"Well then what, perchance, did you talk about?" Tsunade was at her wits end, if they hadn't shared information, then what had they talked about?  
"He told me I was beautiful, and that he loved me. We talked about silly things like flowers, and the size of the moon. He kept telling me how he wished it could be different, that we could be normal and not have to hide our relationship. He just wanted to settle down, and forget all that had happened in his life, start fresh," Sakura was still being truthful. They had never shared anything about their current lives, had never asked one another for any information concerning the groups they belonged to. That's not how their relationship had worked, it wasn't a give and take, it was a mutual respect for each other that had kept the flame alive. She needed her mentor to see that, for everyone to see it. Itachi wasn't the monster that everyone played him out to be.

Tsunade went back to pacing around the room, "In that case your punishment won't be as severe. You're being sentenced to two weeks of house arrest. After that three months under twenty four hour watch. You will not be sent on any missions during that time, and will not be allowed to leave the village. Do you understand?"

"Yes Lady Tsunade, thank you," Sakura bowed her head, feeling bad that she'd forced her mentor to do this.

"You may leave now, an ANBU member will see you to your home. Please have Naruto and Kakashi come in after you," Tsunade went back to her position behind her desk.

Sakura got up to leave but was stopped by the women's voice, "And Sakura promise me you won't do something like this again."

When she reached the door she looked back and gave her mentor a sad smile, "I'm sorry, I can't do that. I still love him." With that she opened the door and left.

**A/N: Well what a turn of events, and look everything turned out fine, or did it… Remember I have a whole chapter after this one to do what I want with. What's going to happen I wonder? Please review and tell me what you think is going to happen next.**

**In addition, I would like to have some help from all you wonderful readers in the development of the prequel. How do you think they should meet? Review or PM me with your thoughts.**


	7. Chapter 7 Unexpected Surprises

**A/N: I'm so sorry that this is a couple of days late, my schedule didn't allow me any time to write this past week, and I know that that is a pretty bad excuse. Anyway this is the last chapter of this story, so I hope you like it. The prequel to this story is my next project, but I have to warn you that I'm not going to be able to post it for a month or so because I'm taking a trip abroad and will be unable to post anything. I will however keep writing, so you can probably expect the first couple of chapters of the prequel up in August.**

**Thank you for sticking with me throughout this story, and please review and tell me what you thought of the ending.**

**There's also some new information about the prequel in the note at the end of this chapter, so be sure to read if you want to read the prequel.**

**silverdragon**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. If I did, Itachi wouldn't have died…. twice :(**

Chapter 7 Unexpected Surprises

_Three weeks later_

Sakura had gone through the two weeks of house arrest just fine, and her life was finally getting back to normal. She worked at the hospital, using her skills as a medical-nin to help out while she couldn't go on missions. At this point she barely even noticed the ANBU members that watched her twenty-four-seven, although there were the small things that allowed her to see she was still being watched. Even so she shrugged them off, it was better off that way.

Naruto had forgiven her in the first week of her sentence, his anger had fizzled away when he realized there wasn't anything he could do to change how she felt. Tsunade didn't trust her as much as she used to, but they would be able to rebuild that relationship over time. Kakashi on the other hand had managed to act like nothing had happened, and that everything was the same, which grounded Sakura in a way.

She hadn't heard anything from Itachi, but that was probably due to the fact that she was being watched, and anything that was sent to her was checked before she could look at it. She missed him terribly, but when it came down to it, this was probably for the best. Sakura knew that she would see him again eventually, and hopefully he would still remember her and what they had shared. For now she'd just have to be patient, wait out her sentence and try to move on.

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It was a very bright sunny morning when Sakura woke up feeling sick to her stomach. Rushing to the bathroom she threw up into the toilet, emptying her insides of everything she'd eaten the night before. When she finished, she leaned into the toilet, putting her face on the seat while trying to think of what had made her sick. She hadn't eaten anything strange, and no one at the hospital had a stomach bug, so what could it be?

That's when an idea hit her, but no it couldn't be, that was impossible. She'd been careful to prevent that, using a special jutsu to prevent any kind of pregnancy, so there was no way that it could've happened. Thinking back to the last time, she couldn't remember if she had actually preformed the jutsu, there was just so much going on at the time, so it might have slipped her mind. She counted back the weeks, she was two weeks late for her period, but how had she not noticed? Then again with all the confusion over her and Itachi's relationship, it really wasn't that much of a stretch to think she forgot.

There was only one way to find out if her hunch was true, and that was to go to Tsunade, and to be examined. She couldn't go to the hospital, there were only three people in the village besides herself who knew anything about her involvement with Itachi, and Sakura wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. So she went to her mentor, trying to figure out what she was going to say if she was actually correct in her thoughts.

When she finally reached the Hokage's office, she had to wait for Tsunade to be free enough to talk to her. After what seemed like forever, Tsunade finally had a free moment, and Sakura went into her office, feeling jittery and nervous.

"Oh hello Sakura, what brings you here?" Tsunade looked over at her student from across her desk, wondering just why the girl came over.

"I need to tell you something," Sakura was extremely nervous, and as such began chewing on her lip absentmindedly.

"Well, what is it?" the older women questioned, knowing that if Sakura was this jittery it was probably something bad.

"I think I might be pregnant," Sakura blurted out before she lost the nerve.

Tsunade sat there for a moment, trying to process the information, and fit the pieces together.

Once she finished with her thinking, she asked Sakura one quick question, "Is it Itachi's?"

Sakura hung her head and answered in a small voice, "Yes, it would have to be his."

"Well before we go any further, we should probably make sure that you actually are pregnant. Come over here," Tsunade gestured for Sakura to come towards her. The girl walked timidly forwards, eyeing her mentor as she walked behind the desk.

"I'm not going to bite, just come here already." Tsunade was getting impatient with her student's shyness. With that command Sakura stepped forwards, and allowed her mentor to do a quick examination. Tsunade placed her hands on the girl's stomach, and her hand began to glow a faint bluish color. After about two minutes of standing like this Tsunade pulled away, nodding her head.

"Yep you're pregnant, congratulations," the older women said it happily, but there was a trace of doubt it her tone.

"Really?" Sakura questioned. The knowledge was both good and bad. She was carrying Itachi's child, which made her incredibly happy, but on the other hand, unless they could come up with some kind of story, everyone would eventually know about her involvement with a criminal.

"Yes really. So what are you going to do about it?" Tsunade questioned, wondering just how far her student had thought ahead.

"I'm going to carry out the pregnancy, because that's what I want to do, and it's what I think is best. But I know that doing that and keeping everything about Itachi a secret will be incredibly hard. So I guess I'll have to let my secret out," Sakura sighed a little, "I know it's going to be hard, but I have a feeling that quite a few people have already guessed at what's going on with me and my probation. In all honesty, my friends deserve to know, and perhaps I can manage to convince them that Itachi isn't a monster."

Tsunade was impressed with how the young girl was acting, and decided to help her in whatever way she could, "I can't say I agree with your choice, but I can't deny the village a good shinobi, which your child will no doubt become. I will help you by keeping this entire thing under wraps until you're ready to tell everyone. I have to warn you though, you should probably do it soon, before your pregnancy becomes apparent."

Sakura jumped up and hugged her mentor, tears of joy beginning to stream down her cheeks, "Oh thank you Lady Tsunade. I won't disappoint you again, I promise."

Tsunade pulled away, making sure Sakura was on her feet before continuing, "You know that this won't be easy, and that you'll be more or less alone raising the child. I'm not going to let Itachi come back to the village, even if his child is here. Do you understand that?"

"Yes Lady Tsunade, I do. I'll have Naruto and Kakashi-sensei here to help me though, so I won't be totally alone." She smiled as she mentioned her friend and her sensei, they hadn't turned their backs on her yet.

"Very well. There is one other pressing matter that we have to discuss. Are you going to tell Itachi?"

"I want to, but I'm not really sure how to find him. I pretty sure that if I were to leave the village then he'd come and seek me out, but I know you're not going to let that happen for fear that I'd run away with him," Sakura looked a little sad as she said that, but when she looked up again she had a small smile on her face, "I wonder how he'd react to the news. Would he be excited, or scared? It's hard to tell with him."

After a few minutes of thought Tsunade sighed, she was probably going to regret this later, but still, "Well I guess you'll get to find out. I'm giving you permission to find Itachi and tell him. However, it will be part of a mission to try and capture him, so if you get the chance to take him prisoner then you must take it. I'll send Naruto and Kakashi with you, to make sure you don't do something stupid, so you're going to have to tell them first."

"Really?" Sakura asked. When Tsunade nodded her head the girl jumped up and down in glee.

"Well I don't see why the baby's father shouldn't be told, but remember what I said, this is an actual mission, and therefore should be treated as such."

"Oh thank you Lady Tsunade, I'll come back I promise, but I have to warn you, this mission is probably going to fail."

"I know, but still, it gives you an actual reason to see Itachi again, and makes keeping this all secret a little easier for me. You can go and pack now, I'll summon Naruto and Kakashi and inform them of their new mission." Tsunade waved the girl off, hoping that this was the right choice and that she wouldn't come to regret it later.

Sakura left without another word, gently rubbing her stomach and thinking about how she was going to tell Naruto, Kakashi, and most of all Itachi.

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_Five weeks later_

They'd been searching for Itachi for weeks, and moral was pretty low in their little group. Sakura had told Naruto and Kakashi about her pregnancy, and both had been thrilled. That was until she told them who the father was, which had both of the males shaking their heads in slight disapproval. Either way, they'd both agreed to join her in her search for Itachi, if for their own selfish reasons. Naruto wanted to beat the crap out of Itachi for sleeping with Sakura, and Kakashi wanted to catch Itachi so that the village could interrogate him about the Akatsuki.

This was the tenth village that they'd searched in, all of their leads had run cold four villages back, so whether or not Itachi was here was anyone's guess. They decided to split up, each of them taking a different part of town in order to finish quicker and go onto the next town. So Sakura was left alone, walking the streets and absentmindedly rubbing the small bulge on her stomach.

Coming up would be her ninth week pregnancy, and it was starting to show, but not very much. She'd been instructed to take it easy, to not get into any major fights, and to not use her chakra if at all possible. Sakura had also been told that as soon as her mission was completed, she was to come back to the village straight away and see Tsunade for a check-up. She sighed a bit at the thought, who knew how long it would take to find Itachi, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Sakura was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice when someone stepped out of the shadows behind her. She stiffened when she felt a strong pair of arms encircle her waist, pinning her arms to her sides, and limiting any chance of escape.

"Long time, no see my blossom," a deep voice whispered into her ear. It was a voice she'd recognize anywhere, and she quickly turned around and hugged the man behind her.

"Oh Itachi, I've missed you so much," the words were said into the man's shoulder as Sakura started to cry, damn hormones.

"Calm down my love, what's wrong?" He pulled away from her ever so gently, looking into her face as he wiped the tears away with a hand.

"Itachi, I need to tell you something," she started, not knowing how to continue even though she'd ran this conversation through in her head dozens of times.

"Yes? What is it?" he questioned, noticing the serious tone Sakura was using.

"Well, I'm-I'm pregnant." Sakura looked at her hands, not knowing how he would react.

"What?" he said, not quite believing his ears.

"I'm pregnant, and you're the father," she mumbled again, finally gaining enough courage to look into his face. What she saw made her heart flutter. Itachi was looking at her with this ridiculously goofy grin, his eyes shining with happiness and love.

"When, wait I think I already know that, and the how is pretty obvious, but still, really?" Despite being very happy, Itachi was obviously a little confused, and the confusion expressed itself in the way of his jumbled questions.

Sakura took his hands in her smaller ones and looked him in the eye, "Yes, really, you're going to be a father."

Itachi's face fell for a moment, as he started to asked the questions that Sakura didn't want to answer, "If I'm the father then will they let you keep the baby?" he paused, taking a breath while thinking it over a bit, "Even if they let you keep it I won't be able to see the child, will I? Tsunade would never let me come back to the village unless I was in chains or something happened that would require my presence."

"I'm sorry Itachi. I did get permission to have the baby, and raise it, but Tsunade said that under no circumstances will you be allowed to come back to the village. It's not fair, but that's life I guess," Sakura looked away as she said it, tears coming to her eyes at the thought of Itachi never being able to hold, or see their child.

"Shh, it's okay my blossom. Perhaps it's for the best that the child doesn't know its father, because I don't think I would be a very good one," the words were bitter as he spoke them, which only made Sakura cry harder. Itachi pulled the girl into a gentle hug, stroking her hair while he murmured things like "Its alright." and "It's going to be fine." into her ear.

Sakura pulled away when she was done crying, wiping her eyes as she said, "But I want the baby to know its father, because the man that I know to be its father is kind, and gentle, and caring. This child's father is the man I fell in love with, the man who tried his hardest to be with me despite the ridiculous odds against us. I want you to be in the picture, because without you there the baby will never be understand what kind of person you are, and it will grow up hating you for never being there. I don't want that to happen."

"I know Sakura, you want me to be there, but at the moment I can't be. You need to understand that nothing is going to change the Hokage's mind about me, so there is no way that I'm going to be able to come back to the Leaf Village. Besides, you'll have Naruto and the rest of the village to help you. Even when word gets out that I'm the father, your friends love you enough to see past that and help you. So you won't be alone in this, and even though I can't be at your side, I'll always be in your heart and as long as I'm there, nothing will be able to keep me from you." With those final words he brought his face down and kissed her gently on the lips, silencing the protests that were on the tip of her tongue.

She melted into the kiss, going weak in the knees and almost falling down because of it. Itachi snaked one arm around her waist, keeping her up while he deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue in and exploring her mouth. When they broke apart Itachi gently placed a hand over the slight bump on Sakura's stomach, smiling a little to himself as he stoked the little bulge.

"Our baby," he murmured, "It's going to be beautiful Sakura, I can just tell."

Sakura smiled to herself, until she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

"Sakura, where are you?" Came the call from a few blocks away.

She panicked, "You need to go, now. We were sent to capture you, that's the only way that Tsunade could make me finding you look innocent. So please go before Naruto finds you."

Itachi could sense the panic and fear behind Sakura's words, but stayed just long enough to say, "I love you with all of my heart. We will see each other again, and I will find a way to become part of our baby's life. Don't forget that Sakura."

"I love you too Itachi, now please go. I'll see you again soon," Sakura smiled as Itachi faded into the darkness of the alleyway, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Just then Naruto showed up at the end of the alleyway, walking over the Sakura who was on her knees, tears silently streaming down her face. When he saw the tears Naruto quickly rushed to the girl's side, not knowing what was wrong he just stood there awkwardly.

"What's wrong Sakura?" he asked hurriedly, "Is it the baby?"

Sakura only shook her head no, but when she had enough control to speak she gave him an answer, "I just saw Itachi, and told him everything. I'm pretty sure we can abort the mission now, he defiantly knows we're looking for him, and will probably go underground for a little while."

Naruto brought her into a hug, not saying anything to the emotionally unstable girl. This was how Kakashi found them half an hour later, but by then Sakura had fallen asleep in Naruto's arms, so the blond had to fill their sensei in on what had happened.

When Sakura woke up the next day she felt her hands balled up in some kind of clothing, warm blankets around her and a bed underneath her body. She also felt warmth next to her, but any hope that she had was dashed as soon as she opened her eyes and saw Naruto. She looked down and realized that the fabric she had clenched in her fists was Naruto's shirt. Apparently, she'd fallen asleep in his arms, and refused to let go when he tried to place her in the bed.

She smiled a little, Itachi had been right about her having good friends. Maybe, just maybe she'd get through this. With that thought she was once again hit by a wave of nausea, which had her running into the bathroom and promptly throwing up in the toilet.

This was going to be a long nine months.

**A/N: So I ended this story at an awkward spot, I know, but I'm planning on making a sequel, just as soon as I'm done with the prequel. If you want a sequel review and tell me what you think, and remember that I'm still opened for suggestions for the prequel as well, although I have already started story boarding it.**

**And before I forget I'd like to thank ItaSaku1 for their review on my other story "Blindfold" that gave me the idea for this interesting plot twist.**

**Please review, I'd love to hear from you all about the ending.**

**The prequel is up! I was finally able to get that started, so please read it. Especially if you enjoyed "Vacationing with a Criminal"! The title of the prequel is "Falling for a Criminal", and I would be super happy if you would read it. The story basically outlines how Sakura and Itachi found each other, and fell in love before any of this plot happened, because everything has to have a beginning right? Once again thank you to all my faithful readers and I hope you enjoy the prequel.**


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